back button

noun

computers
: an icon on a computer screen that typically depicts a backward pointing arrow and that returns the user to a previously shown window or web page

called also back arrow

Examples of back button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its streaming service buttons are at the top instead of the bottom, there’s a larger more centralized directional pad surrounded by the home, settings, and back buttons and volume and channel toggles towards the lower third. — John Higgins, The Verge, 27 Aug. 2026 This use of collaging politicized pin-back buttons into a seemingly serene yellow flower works to convey a message about the complexities of women who are intellectually, civically and emotionally sophisticated beyond face-value aesthetics. — Elizabeth Grace Coyne, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 It's built with competitive gamers in mind, with four mouse-click back buttons, two claw-grip bumpers, and six remappable buttons. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 14 July 2026 Gaming is a breeze with these Hall-effect triggers and joysticks, and there are two back buttons and a solid D-Pad. — Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for back button

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back button was in 1981

Rhymes for back button

See All Rhymes for back button

Browse Nearby Words

back burner
back button
back-calving
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Back button.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20button. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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